A new friend

Ditch the Ex, Date the Billionaire

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Chapter 3: A new friend

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*Isabella*

“Excuse me, Are you holding silent conversations with yourself? Should I be worried?.”

I looked away from the mirror that i was staring into and turned to my left seeing Dara, a co-worker and coincidentally, the only nice person in this building.

“Hey, Dara.” I say, my voice cracking a little bit.

She sighed bringing up her hand to touched my forehead as she gave me a look.

“Have you been crying all day, please tell me you haven’t ?.”

I’m not sure if it’s the exhaustion of the different panic attacks I had today or the soft encouraging look from Dara that spurs me to suddenly be so open, but I’m too tired and I just feels like I’m failing.

“I’m just tired, Dara... .” I rasped out blankly staring at my miserable self in the mirror. “It’s been weeks and I feel like I can’t catch a break in this company.”

“Bella ... .” She mutters in response reaching out to hold my hand.

“Would it be bad if I wanted to resign?.” I replied shakily.

“No, no, no.” Dara disagrees with me as she rubs my hand she was holding gently with her thumbs. “Don’t say that!.”

“My life has been a mess since Alan and I broke up.”

“It’s a good thing you two broke up.”

“Not everyone believes that!. No one has been able to give me a break! Alan this! Alan that! He and I broke up 2 weeks ago but I always feel like it’s yesterday because of the way everyone keeps reminding me!.”

“It’s okay to feel dejected after a breakup especially if you loved him but that doesn’t mean you should put yourself down! You are perfect the way you are.”

I scoffed. “Perfect? I wish so. I look like a vampire with my eyes bloodshot and puffy?.”

“Yeah you do look ugly..” She replied cheekily.

“Hey!.” I interjected giving her a little blow.

Dara chuckled withdrawing. “Oh come on, you are like my only friend here, where does it say that I can’t taunt you?.”

“You can’t. I say so.”

“Come with me to a party this night.” She changes the subject poking me.

I rolled my eyes in response as I replied instead. “I won’t be coming with you today. Pass the information to your hot bartender boyfriend. I’m going back to my dad’s house.”

“So no Friday night at the club then?.” Dara asks. “No wonder your life is so depressing.” She says jokingly.

I nod giving her a small smile as a way of apologizing and she bids her goodbye reluctantly leaving the female restroom.

Going back to dad’s mansion.

Certainly one of the worst decisions I’ll ever make in life.

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As soon as I entered the sitting room of my father’s Mansion, I saw my Dad, and my so-called 'mother'.

Rather devil of a step mother.

The main reason my life was miserable, the main reason why I would never forget that I was an illegitimate daughter since she never failed to remind me each day.

There were all having a conversation with broad smiles on their faces.

The maid saw I arrived and she greeted me with a smile, "Good evening, miss."

Hearing the maid's voice, the other three in the living room looked towards me.

My step mother first scoffed regarding me with a look of contempt. “Look what the cat dragged in. You saw that you couldn’t survive without us and you are suddenly back? Or why have you come back then?.”

I ignored her sentences which angered her to continue.

“I heard your boyfriend dumped you. What happened to staying with him forever? I prefer you hate this home and don't ever come back because we will surely enjoy your absence." She berated me harshly.

Since I wasn't her daughter, and was given birth by a random woman with whom my father cheated with on her, she has hated me ever since and she did not feel the need to talk to me kindly or peacefully.

In all things, I have gotten used to her choice of words as I completely ignored them.

I have been living in this house for over 2 decades which made me accustomed to my step mother’s mean nature.

I instead looked at my father, who was sitting nearby, and said, "Good evening, Dad.”

"Isabella thank you for joining us. We were talking about your sister and her boyfriend, Alan Bancroft." My father replied indifferently not concerned about the insults that were being hurled at me by his despicable wife.

He also had never been kind to me too so what should I expect?

But he must have been in a good mood today to not hurl words at me too.

I had a confused facial expression as to why we needed to talk about Alan and Chantelle.

"Why should she know what’s going on? I don’t want her there.” Chantelle said as she looked at me with obvious contempt and resentment, as I was about to sit next to her.

Then she added to spite me. “Isabella, I am going to make it clear to you. I'm already Alan’s girlfriend. He’s going to be named the next heir at his grandfather’s company at the upcoming company party and our relationship will be announced there as well.” Chantelle said with an obvious smirk forming her face.

Whenever Alan’s name was mentioned, my heart would still skip a beat like it was threatening to come out because I loved him so much.

Despite trying very hard to forget him, I just couldn't get over him.

Alan was my first love. We dated from high school till out of college. I have loved him since when I was 15.

"That is nice. My congratulations to you!" I said doing my best to force on a smile.

My voice was calm and I hope I was doing a good job of looking unperturbed.

“Oh and the whole family is going with me to meet Alan and his family tomorrow, you don’t mind tagging along, do you?.” She asked with mischievous innocence in her eyes.

I stood up from the couch heading back upstairs. “No thanks. I’ll sit this one out.”

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The worst part about being betrayed is that it often happens from people you trust.

Sitting with my back to the wall, knees to my chest, and arms wrapped around them, I cried alone in my room. It was him.

The one whose smile adorned every photo in the room—on the dresser, nightstand, and even inside the wardrobe.

He, who just two weeks ago, meant everything to me. Looking at my hands, they no longer felt soft and clean. They seemed foreign, as if someone had replaced them.

Dirty and covered in my own blood, a result of my frustration and anger turned inward. Instead of lashing out at those who hurt me, I hurt myself.

Tears streamed down my face, expressing both anger and emptiness. "Why?" I whispered, exhausted.

My gaze shifted to our picture, questioning the authenticity of our happiness and love.

“Was any of it real?" I wondered, recalling Chantelle’s revelation about her upcoming arrangement with Alan.

They must have been having an affair behind my back.

But since when?

“Why did it have to be my own sister with Alan?" I mused sadly. "It was all just a facade."

Life seemed unbearably cruel. Born out of wedlock to a father who didn't acknowledge me, raised by an abusive stepmother, and now betrayed by my own sister.

I felt purposeless, unloved.

Lost in my thoughts, I was jolted back to reality by the loud ringing of my phone.

Glancing at the illuminated screen, I sighed and answered the call from Dara, eager for any distraction from the depression I was sinking into.

“Hey, Isabella! I know you said no already at work but are you still up for a Friday night at the club? My boyfriend’s busy at the club and I need someone to talk to.”

It was Dara.

Yes. Anything to get me out of this hole I was sinking into.

<<>>

*Alan*

"I can't believe this is happening," I muttered, my voice tinged with frustration.

This wasn't how I envisioned my life unfolding. It certainly wasn't part of the plan I had carefully crafted in my mind.

Across the table, Mark raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity. "What's going on, Alan? You've been acting strange all evening."

“Is it the breakup? Don’t worry, you can cry over my shoulder.” Damson joked hitting me in the process.

“It’s not about the breakup.” I responded shoving his arm of me hating the fact that he would bring that up. “Don’t talk about that.”

“What?.” Mark snorted. “You cheated on her, she broke up with you. Face the fact, you lost.”

“I didn’t lose anything.” I muttered slightly irritated. “If I didn’t get with Chantelle after, Isabella would have ended up coming back to me.”

“With the news being spread about her in the company.” Sarah shook her head. “I don’t think she would have.”

“If it’s not Isabella bothering you then who is?.” Damson asked nudging me.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair in exasperation. "It's my mum," I confessed, the words heavy on my tongue. "She found out about me and Chantelle. And now she’s gone to do things her way.”

Mark and his girlfriend exchanged knowing glances, their expressions mirroring my own apprehension.

Chantelle and I weren’t to be. She caught me at a weak moment and Isabella had to catch me the one time I decide to cheat.

Now, my mum thinks I had been dating Chantelle all this while because I foolishly told her I was dating Former Governor Norman’s daughter.

Stupid me didn’t even specify it was Isabella.

“If Chantelle and I have an arranged marriage in the works then somehow I have a chance to take over from my grandfather.” I say explaining to them.

"But I thought your uncle was next in line for CEO," Sarah ventured, her brow furrowing in confusion.

I nodded, a bitter taste lingering in my mouth. "He is. But he's turned down the offer, and now my granddad is adamant that I step up to the privilege."

I did like the idea of getting the family fortune but not in this way.

I wanted to impress my grandfather with my own skills but now I was only being picked because his own son didn’t want the heirloom.

And my grandfather is too sexist to hand over to my mum instead. So now, I’m the next puppet to be used.

"Okay so we need to figure this out so we can save you from a miserable life with Chantelle" Mark declared, determination flashing in his eyes.

“I agree.” Damson butted in before raising a finger to object. “But for now, it’s Friday night, no talks of work please, leave that for Monday. The only thing I have on my mind right now is to party.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at that. “Like you brain has the capacity to store other things?.”

"Alright," I relented, a weary smile gracing my lips. "Let's go."

“Yes, that’s the spirit!.” Damson clapped my back out of excitement.

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TBC

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